Kitsuna woke up at the usual horrible time of five am sharp. She stared at her phone for several minutes, seriously considering rolling back over and going to sleep. She sent out a text and forced herself up, taking her time getting dressed. She pulled on her volleyball club jacket, with another layer underneath. She headed into the kitchen and sure enough there was a scarf, hat, and pair of gloves on the table. Folded neatly beside a pair of wrapped pork buns.

"You don't gotta do that," Kitsuna said softly. She was grateful, but still had a hard time with others looking out for her so much. She pulled on the extra pieces and tucked the food into her school bag. She slid on her shoes and did some stretches, prepping for the long and cold walk. She ate as she walked past the leafless trees, feet crunching in the snow when she had to step off the road for a passing car. It was cold, and her joints screamed at her, but it was sort of peaceful. The sun was rising slowly, and the sky had a few clouds but was a nice pale blue. She stopped to admire the view of the sleepy town out in the sticks that sprawled on for miles. Tucked into the hills, just out of view and out of mind if you weren't careful. She smiled to herself, then stuffed the remainder of her breakfast into her mouth all at once and swallowed it down. She did some more stretches, and started jogging the rest of the way down. That little break had cost her a precious amount of time, and she was determined to make it up.

…

"Looks like we all got here early," Daichi greeted his friends just outside the shrine grounds. They were waiting for two more, but got there thirty minutes before the agreed upon time.

"Oh, did you get a reply from Kitsuna actually?," Daichi asked Suga. The boy laughed a little, pulling his phone out and looking at a message that he showed the other two.

"Lunch better be extra good? And at what time?," Asahi paled when he saw the timestamp on the message.

"Why so early?," Daichi asked with a level of concern.

"So early? That's what time I usually get up," Kitsuna showed up so suddenly that Suga nearly dropped his phone. She startled them all with that.

"Wait, really?," Asahi somehow was the first to recover, likely losing his battle with curiosity. Kitsuna sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to steady her near-panting breathing.

"Work stuff. Cooking takes a while, and I don't wanna do it at night then have stale food for the store. And I don't wanna miss practice if I can help it," she yawned just then. A cloud rose up from where she stood, and they could see that she was sweating under her layers.

"Oh, did I get the time wrong?," Kiyoko showed up just a few minutes before the agreed time. She was dressed warmly, but also cutely. Kitsuna felt somehow at a disadvantage, with her hand-me-downs and cobbled together pieces that didn't quite fit.

"Sorry, no. We're all just a little early," Daichi turned toward the other girl. They all nodded with each other, then made their way toward the stairs.

"Seriously?! I just came down the damn mountain, and now I gotta go back up? Give me a break!," Kitsuna complained loudly at the prospect of climbing the steps all the way up to the shrine. She quieted down once they got moving, but Suga's excitement was boiling over and he filled the air with tons of mindless chatter all the way up.

"Suga! Chill out! Asahi, react a little! What, are you trying to remember how to breathe! Kitsuna, are you still alive back there!"

Daichi finally snapped at all of them once they reached the summit of the stairs. They were causing a scene with each one somehow being at their absolute worst, and a few heads turned their way.

"Guys, come on," Kiyoko chided softly. She was struggling to keep herself from giggling, despite that.

"Sorry," the other four apologized in unison. They made their way up to the shrine bell and stopped to pray. They took their time there, then cleared out so they weren't in the way of anyone else. Kitsuna had cooled down and was looking antsy, and Daichi suddenly remembered that she hadn't actually ever done a shrine visit.

"I'm gonna go grab a fortune," Suga wandered off and the others followed.

"I haven't done that in ages," Asahi laughed.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. I used to always get bad luck and get super depressed," the shockingly timid boy admitted.

"Hm? Why get all bummed about it, it's really just a piece of paper," Kitsuna spoke up. That somehow killed the mood instantly, and she was oblivious.

"I mean, like. It's still kinda fun right?," Suga tried to pick it back up.

"Hm? Sorry, that's my bad," Kitsuna apologized, finally catching on to her blunder. She tried to save it but was struggling. Kiyoko laughed again, and that finally set things back on track.

"I mean, think of it this way. They make a ton of these slips, it's sorta like a gacha game. There's a higher chance of getting something kind of average or bad, and a really low chance of scoring something amazing. So if even a bad one is still pretty average or mid, then there's definitely still worse," she went for a rational explanation. One based on basic math and probability. It was a roundabout way to do it, but somehow it lifted Asahi's spirits a little bit. Until they all drew lots anyway.

"Wow, it's pretty crazy that it's consistent!," Suga blurted out between fits of laughter. Him and Daichi were losing it, causing Asahi to snap at them. They both got average draws, and Asahi tried to say that was somehow more boring. They noticed that Kitsuna was staying weirdly quiet, and all turned on her to show what she got. She averted her gaze and tried to hide the slip behind her back, but eventually they wrestled it free from her grip. Asahi saw it first, and his face fell as if he'd just found out a relative died.

"What's that look for dude? It can't be-woah!," Suga started to tease, but was shocked when he got a good look.

"Seriously," Daichi was equally as frustrated as Asahi.

"That's why I wasn't saying anything!," Kitsuna whined loudly. There on the slip was something completely unbelievable. The luckiest ticket, one so rare that most doubted it even existed. Even the poor shrine maiden was shocked when she handed it over. The three boys, crouched around the paper, all looked dead ahead with darkened faces.

"Ah, you're supposed to tie it up," Kiyoko to the rescue. She took the paper and pulled Kitsuna over to show her how to do it. Kitsuna was struggling with the gloves she wore, unfamiliar with having something on her hands, but managed it well enough after a minute or so. Then they headed down the stairs, discussing their wishes and the benevolence of the gods.

"I don't think we need the gods' help. We've worked hard, we'll make it," Kiyoko said suddenly, standing a few steps above them. The boys took that to heart, and Kitsuna did to an extent, but she was preoccupied with something else now. A deep, low growling from her stomach, from all the exercise she'd gotten so far. And all before ten in the morning. She tugged at Suga's sleeve, and everyone took their leave after a few more minutes.